8 Great Reasons to Journal
In our fast-paced high-tech world, journaling may be one of the best ways to gain perspective and peace of mind. Whether you write in a beautiful leather-bound notebook or on the latest tablet, expressing your thoughts can lead to insights that you might not discover otherwise—or, at least, not as quickly.
1. Journaling allows us to reflect.
The fast pace of our society often prevents us from taking time to think and to see exactly where we fit in to what is going on around us. Journaling helps us slow down to consider who we are, what we’ve done, and where we want to go.
2. Journaling allows us to discover who we are.
We are far more complex than most of us allow anyone to see. We often don’t even know ourselves very well. Journaling lets us see the thoughts and ideas locked in our subconscious minds. The body-mind connection required to write helps us express those inner thoughts.
3. Have a problem? Journal.
Writing can help us sort through possible solutions to the sticky problems in our lives, the ones that don’t have neat answers immediately identifiable. We can develop a variety of possible solutions, from the sublime to the ridiculous, and then choose the one most likely to resolve the situation.
4. Journaling lets us say whatever we want to say. 
Sometimes we just have to vent. But venting publically can create more problems than it resolves. Journaling helps us acknowledge those feelings in a way that doesn’t hurt us or other people. We can always tear out the page or delete the words from the screen (just don’t save first). Once out of our systems, we can look at the situation more calmly and move on.
5. Journaling releases tension and stress.
The act of writing slows us down, which helps us relax and breathe. We get the things that are bugging us out in the open, even if only for our eyes, and that helps us deal with them. Writing also helps us put things into perspective, which reduces stress and anxiety as well.
6. Journaling unlocks our creativity.
Feeling blocked? Not sure what to do next? Write. Just put pen to paper or fingers on keyboards and write. No editing, no proofreading, no second thoughts. Just get whatever is in your head out. Make it visible and see where it leads. What seems whacky is often the seed of genius; but if you never express it, the seed can’t grow.
7. Journaling helps us express gratitude.
Keeping a journal of blessings is an easy way to see all the good that is happening in our lives. It allows us to focus on the little things that we overlook in the organized chaos of our world. The smell of wood smoke on a crisp fall evening, the sweet taste of a the first strawberry of spring, the sight of a puppy trying to pick up the paper to bring to his owner—recalling and recording these little events of the day can let us see that even in the middle of the worst day possible, rays of hope exit.
8. Journaling is a way to capture and preserve who we are.
By journaling, we create a first-person narrative of our lives, a narrative both we and our families will find interesting and enlightening in years to come. Journals have always been a source of information, a way of seeing how people who lived during various historical periods actually felt and what their daily lives were really like. Our journals can do the same. Journals also allow us to relive periods of our lives, to see how we have grown and changed, to reflect on the impact of decisions made long ago.
So start journaling! You will be amazed at what you will discover about you, your life, and the world around you.
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Tell your story for posterity
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Measure progress
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Get organized
Types of Journals
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Diary
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Blessings
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Prayer
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Plans
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Character sketches
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Life story
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Wishes and Dreams
